The Rangers: A Brief History
by levasaurus
Summary: Korra picks up a book about history. Cool history with battles and other exciting things. No adventures here, just fleshing out the universe slightly. Tell me what you think.


Rangers, a brief History

Korra huffed into the library and thumped to the ground cross armed and legged, she wanted to practice water bending with Kya but Tenzin sent her in to do some quiet study instead. She wasn't acting her age in the slightest.

"Don't wanna study…" The young girl mumbled, jutting her chin out, alongside other less audible mutterings. After a time she relaxed and she looked toward the vast wall of books and scrolls to her right, she was immediately impressed by the size of the collection and mesmerised by the vast array of colours on the shelves. She'd never been to Tenzin's Library before. She eyed up the collection trying to find one that would catch her eye. Then she saw it, big and black next a smaller red book and an equally large and terrifyingly thick green one. She pulled it out and brushed the dust off the cover, it read:

100 years of war: the Warfighters

An A-Z of military organisations during the 100 year war

She was about to put it back when she heard footsteps outside, panicking she opened it and plonked down onto the floor in an effort to look like she was doing what she was told, the footsteps passed and went down the hallway. Giving a sigh of relief, her hair fell in front of her eyes and she fruitlessly huffed at it, it stubbornly swayed in front of her eye. She heard more footsteps and she realised there was no getting out of this one; she'd have to make like an earth bender and go through it.

She'd have to read.

So she flicked to a random page and got started, promising herself that she'd stop when she learned something.

* * *

He escaped with roughly 400 air nomads, a group he too resided in. The group soon reorganised into a firm and reliable fighting group under the command of a 20 year old man named Tenzin Chang. They received the nickname 'Rangers' due to their natural ability as nomads to cover great ranges with very little effort. Caught between holding onto tradition and survival, they agreed that in order to maintain their culture in the future they must split in two; one group will go into isolation in an undisclosed location, to keep their current culture alive; the other group will take up arms to defend them and their location at any cost. It was the second group that saw the need of their assistance in and among the other nations. They decided to expand their ragtag group of fighters to incorporate men and women of other nations, and other elements. Using their own hybrid training regime they created an elite small army, one that could, in the right circumstances, best a fire nation invasion, at least on paper. This drew the attention of benders and non benders from all over the world. Only accepting the best they grew from strength to strength, using the expertise of the air nomads to elude the fire nation that so desperately wanted them gone. However the Rangers would soon get a baptism by fire.

As part of their winter offensive the fire nation made an aggressive push right into the heart of the Earth Kingdom, and it looked as though no one could stop them, until one fateful day at Omashu. The Rangers had stopped here to collect a donation of weapons as part of the Earth Kingdoms Resistance initiative, in which weapons are given to resistance groups and freedom fighters to help them in the fight. However the day swiftly turned into a blood bath, the Fire nation had arrived in force and had the intention of marching straight into town, and in a controversial decision the king of Omashu took the rangers advice to let them in and ambush them in the streets. The plan worked to bloody effect, the Fire nation had almost completely depleted their force for the offensive at Omashu, but instead of pulling back the Fire nation kept going and sent another wave, this time ready for anything the city could throw at them. The rangers and Earth Kingdom guard were pushed back hard with horrendous casualties from both sides. By the time the day was over the Fire Nation general had been slain, and his next in command had ordered the unconditional surrender of all his troops.

A year later and the rangers had rebolstered their dwindling numbers and the rangers once again split in two, their ranks becoming too full for only a handful of officers to command without radical re-structuring. The 2nd Rangers regiment became the heavy vanguard and brute force of the army, employing much heavier armour than that of the light infantry in the 1st, it also became the larger of the two to take on its role as the regular infantry of the Rangers. It's rumoured that the idea to split came from the King himself, who had become rather fond of them. This theory is most probably untrue, but we'll never know exactly what went on in that debriefing and what passing remark may have stuck with General Chang and his staff.

In the years leading up to the return of the Avatar the rangers found new training grounds in the swamps of the Earth Kingdom where their people welcomed the new protection and the chance to get in on some of the action. The now Legendary General Chang passed away at the ripe old age of 75, to be succeeded by his son Major Bo Chang in an effort to get a new, younger perspective in the Command structure. Before his assassination just 5 years later he had time to expand the army once again to incorporate a naval element, no doubt due to the growing relationship between the Water Tribes and the Rangers. Working very closely with the Tribes combined navies they created a strong supply link between the two parties that worked in both their favours.

After his assassination he was succeeded by Major Fang Lau, a woman known for her brutal tactics, unyielding resolve and stubbornness, who unfortunately lost her life in a now legendary last stand with the newly founded 3rd Regiment to protect the supply chain with the Southern Water Tribe in the battle for Squid Bay 12 years into her command. Alone and outnumbered nearly 3 to 1, with no available reinforcements for 4 days she aggressively held her ground, making the fire nation pay in blood for every inch of ground they took. After 3 days an opportunity arose and she pounced, in the form of a full frontal counter attack, a move that she would pay the ultimate cost for, but spelt annihilation for the thoroughly exhausted fire nation regulars, who did not survive the day. The battle gave rise to the phrase 'fang in the sand' directed at someone who will not budge 'that man is becoming a real fang in the sand'. Also the tactics she employed in the defence of the bay, which would eventually become known as the 'Fang Defence', became textbook learning for officers after the 100 year war. After her death there was a time of relative peace that gave the now veteran 3rd Regiment time to regroup and restructure. However now the Rangers were left once again leaderless, and the unenviable task of leading 3 Regiments with a combined total of 9087 Rangers, with the added pressure of also commanding a militarised merchant navy of 700 men and women, was left for the first time without an obvious successor.

It took them an irrationally long 3 months to finally select High Captain Jet Cho of the Ranger navy. The man was viewed by most as being 'out of his depth' and under-qualified. He became known for the Disastrous Raid at Gaoling. A simple reconnaissance mission planned by Cho, that left an entire company of the 1st Regiment stranded for over a week. The company eventually perished, fighting to the death for a pointless cause with no hope of escape. All due to a massive oversight in his plan, that received multiple warnings. He was demoted by his peers for gross incompetence barely a year into his command, but retained his position in the Navy. It proved a pivotal point in his life and he became a reliable asset in the years to come. He was succeeded by the young High Captain Xiang Lau, of the 1st Regiment and son of the legendary General Fang Lau.

Unlike his mother Xiang was a patient, light hearted man who proved to be exactly what the strained army needed. The rangers did not see any notable action aside from small skirmishes for 5 years instead focusing on updating their training regimen, 'building bridges' between new allies and multiple recruitment drives. 6 years in and he had become the most popular leader since their first, General Chang, but his mettle was soon to be tested in the siege of Ba Sin Se. The Rangers had drafted in their 1ST and 2nd Regiments to bolster the guard of Ba Sin Se, for the coming attack from the fire nation, however by the time the regiments had arrived they'd found the siege already in place, and working well. The Fire Nation had complete control of Full Moon bay where they were to rendezvous with a group of ships that were to carry the Rangers into the great city.

In a risky move to remove pressure from the wall, the general pushed all of his troops down the serpents pass to flank and surprise the Fire nation. There is a legend that on this day a sole Ranger had killed the giant serpent that took residence in the pass, clearing the way for the rest of the army, however the Legend is more likely to be myth, as the serpent was still around to attack the Avatar in his journeys several years later. Taking a lookout position on hill 245 had given the general the perfect oversight for the entire battle, he decided to take another risk and engaged in long range fire from their position on the brow of the hill. Earth benders, Fire benders and archers rained down on the incredibly surprised Fire nation troops to destructive effect, the Fire nation's left flank were crippled in the first 5 volleys. However within minutes the fire nation's General Irroh had reorganised the left flank; reinforced them with fresh troops from his reserves and sent two units of ranged specialists on flanking runs. To the Earth nation Guard the rangers seemed doomed, however it was at this moment General Lau revealed his new secret weapons, Repeating crossbows. The 3rd regiment's new marksman company split and rolled down the hill, intercepting and ultimately annihilating the flanking threat with cruel efficiency and taking up new positions as flank guards. Over the next 4 days the Rangers suffered heavy losses at the hands of the great general Irroh, a man the Rangers grew to respect.

In the midst of one of the longest and bloodiest stalemates in fire nation history, the general approached the rangers with a proposition that would allow the Ranger, Earth nation and Fire nation armies time regroup and tend to their wounded. This was followed by a full Fire nation retreat without any further loss of life, a move that garnered the man a great deal of respect from the rangers, a respect that is shown in a tradition that was born of that day. A large tattoo of a dragon is drawn up the length of the arm of every ranger, for the lives that were spared that day, thanks to General Irroh 'the Dragon of the west'.

It was a week after this pivotal battle that the Rangers were approached by the order of the White Lotus, a mysterious organisation that is now in charge of protecting and training the Avatar, back then however their goals were not so obvious or clear cut. They offered funding and protection to the remnants of the air nomads in return the Rangers were to train the White Lotus's troops in the years to come. After several days of heated discussion the Rangers accepted the offer giving the White Lotus access to the location of the air nomads. Without having to keep a permanent and watchful eye on the nomads the Rangers could expand their operational range to stage raids deep into the Fire nation. However it had been almost a year since the Rangers had checked on their spiritual counterparts, and the decision was made that he would take the representatives there with an escort of the entire 1st regiment. This entry was found in General Lau's diary:

"…every time I send out scouting parties and patrols they all come back with nothing interesting to report. But I must mention that I still agree with my staff, something doesn't feel right this time. I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched…"

The Rangers reached the new air temple with no issues and the journey went off without a hitch. The temple is hidden deep inside the mountains to the south west of the Southern Water tribe, upon venturing inside they found only a nightmare of ruins and burnt corpses. Despite multiple attempts they found no survivors, and it seemed that the Rangers were right to be on edge, because this expedition would lead to the Rangers biggest loss of the entire war. The entire ordeal had been planned out by the Fire nation for months, using spies and their own special forces they had managed to locate and deal with the air nomads, and find their base of operations, then patiently wait for them to separate into 4 easy targets, the 1st regiment at the southern islands, the 2nd Regiment at their base in the eastern air temple, the 3rd on their way back to the base and a detachment of their navy at Chameleon Bay awaiting the 3rd. They struck with devastating efficiency with survivors records correlating the time of certain attacks to within minutes of each other. The 2nd stood their ground firmly under the command of the Generals brother High Captain Jai Lau who copied his Mothers firm 'Fang Defence'. There the offensive grew to a standstill and with a quick counter attack the day was eventually won. The same cannot be said for the naval detachment, no official record can be found of the battle itself but reports from survivors and eye witnesses state that High Captain Jet Cho sacrificed his ship to allow the rest of the fleet time to retreat, an effort that was doomed at the start, as the Fire nation Sea Ravens dismantled their opposition in record time. No record exists for the 3rd regiment's final battle either, however in this case there were no survivors to tell the tale, the 3rd simply vanished deep inside the great vast desert. There is speculation that the fire nation had in fact hired the elusive sand benders to deal with them, and whilst it is true that they would be able to stage a highly effective ambush, a skill they are notorious for, as well as cover up the attack with relative ease, it's doubtful that they would have the manpower to take on an entire regiment of over 3000 Rangers.

The 1st were ambushed upon leaving the temple, but were ultimately underestimated by the Fire nations elite Striking Cobras, the battle is now used as an example to show what can happen without knowledge of your opponents behaviour. The Cobras went in expecting inexperienced freedom fighters, but they got a Regiment of experienced, organised and professional soldiers, the handpicked elite, from an army of the best fighters from around the globe, not to mention being backed up by three grand lotuses, Masters of their individual trades. All reports conclude in the same way, it was over as quickly as it started with the Cobras limping home. However the victory would not be tasted by the General who was killed in the opening volley, or in fact 75% of his Regiment who perished in the icy conditions. Word was sent to the 2nd regiment that his brother Jai Lau would be promoted to lead the battered and scarred Rangers. His first order was to regroup in the misty swamp training grounds.

From here the General organised several raids in fire nation territory, that were relatively successful in attaining war winning intel and prisoners to use as leverage for money and wares. And it's here that their history co-insides with the avatars, as after just 3 years Jai's son Jin was born, who would go on 20 years later to lead the fight in the battle of Sing Wa Valley, the first battle of the war to implement the rangers new weapon. The musket...

* * *

Korra closed the book, she found it to be an interesting read, despite a few niggling complaints that it was maybe a bit more biased than it was supposed to be, she thought that maybe it was written by a Ranger.

"I did it! I read something!" She shouted. Rising to her feet she could feel her legs straining from sitting down, she stretched them out and relaxed, yawning slightly, she was proud of herself. Not only had she read something, she's pretty sure at least some of it went in… mostly. Just as she'd reached the apex of self appraisal, Tenzin entered the room. His Airbender robes were dirty from looking after his son, who had decided that his food looked better on his father. As a result of this he'd decided his time would be better spent checking in on the avatar.

"What did you decide to read?" The councillor asked picking some noodles off of his shoulder

"The history of the Rangers, in that big book about old armies" He smiled at her description, and gestured her over to leave the room with him

"I wouldn't use that for the exam, it's a bit biased, but it was written by my uncle Jin"

"You knew Jin?" She asked, jogging up to him as he left the room

"Yes he was friends with my father, a lovely man, I actually think he was more excited about me be-" Korra jumped in front of him, suddenly hearing what he said a few sentences ago.

"Wait, what exam?" Tenzin couldn't help but laugh. He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder

"What are we going to do with you?"

* * *

**Hey there! Thanks for reading!**

**This is actually part of a bigger idea, and I would love to know if anyone would want to read a story about the Rangers. I'm quite happy to leave it like this, but if there is demand for a realistic take on a war story set in the ATLA universe then I might consider doing it. Anyway, I'd love it if you could give this a quick review, feedback is always very helpful!**

**Kind Regards,**

**Levasaurus**


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